Signal-controlling switch



June'lL 1929. vMMELUS 1,716,373

S IGNAL CONTROLLING SWITCH Filed Aug. 4, 1927 2 Shets-Sheet 1 Il lll Vea . June 11, 1929. v A H, ELUS 1,716,373

S IGNAL GONTROLLING SWITCH Filed Aug. 4, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A @www rZZLHZZZQS jLwMM/'l l l l A Patented June 11, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR H. ELLIS, OF ROCHESTER, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T CHRIS- TOPHER GRAHAM, OF ROCHESTER, MINNESOTA.

SIGNAIrCONTROLLING SWITCH.

Application filed August 4, 1927. Serial No. 210,597.

The invention relates to a new and iinproved switch designed for controlling a plurality of signal circuits on an autoincbile.

One object of the invention is to provide a simple switch mechanism controlled by a push button and operable upon lateral tilting of such button to actuate a signal suc-li as a. turning or stop light, but operable upon straight inward forcing of the button to sound the usual horn or other audible signal or warning. One of the signal circuits controlled by the switch will usually be for a parking light brought into play by lateral tilting of the button to one position, and it is a further object of the invention to provide unique means for holdin 1r said button in this position so that the parking light may be kept illuminated when desired.

Another object of the invention is to provide a. rather simple and inexpensive yet a compact and very desirable construction and arrangement of parts which may be readily assembled at the factory, may be partially disassembled with ease whenconnecting the current conducting wires thereto, and may then bc quickly and easily replaced in final assembled condition for use.

In the referred form of construction, an insulating plug carrying a number of binding posts and conductors, is removably held within one section of the main body ot' the device by means of a co-acting bayonet slot and stud, and it is another object of the invention to utilize this stud as a portion of the current conducting means brought into play by operation of the push button.

lVith the foregoing and minor objects in view, the invention resides in the novel subject matter hereinafter described and claimed, the description being supplemented the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional View.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but illustrating the button held in one tilted position, this view being partly in elevation.

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view showing the horn-operating contacts in engagement with each other.

Fig. 5 is a disassembled perspective view of a number of the parts of the switch.

Fig. 6 is aperspective view showing the insulating plug juxtaposed with respect to a number of parts carried by it.

liig. 7 is a plan view of the push button.

1n the drawings above briefly described, the numerals 9-10 denote two complementary body sections which jointly forni a hollow cylindrical body, said section 9 fitting into the section 10 and having a threaded or other desired connection 11 therewith. rThis section 9 is preferably of metal and may well be provided with an attaching base 12, and when the device is used upon inachiiies having one terminal of the usual battery, grounded to the chassis frame or the like, said body section 9 will be secured to or foi-ined integrally with a metallic portion of the machine having electrical conducting relation with said frame or the like.

The body section 10 is formed of insulat` ing material and the outer end of this body section is provided with an opening 13 of non-circular foi-in, for a purpose to appear.

Around the periphery of this section, I provide circumferentially spaced contacts 14 which are preferably in the form of screws, the heads of these screws being co-operablc with contact means carried by a cupped push button 15, while the inner ends of said screws engage certain conductors hereinafter described. The push button 15 fits loosely over the outer end of the body section 1() and the above-named contact means of this push button is preferably in the form of a cupped metal-lic shell 16 which constitutes a lining and hence a reinforcement for the push button, as well as constituting a contact. Within the confines of the cupped push button and its shell 16, and secured to the center of said shell, is a current-conducting post 17 of non-circular form. This post passes loosely through the opening 13'and permits both lateral tilting of the push button 15 and straight inward movement of said button. A coiled compression spring 18 surrounds the post 17 between the shell 16 and the body section 10, said spring serving to normally force the push button outwardly to a. predetermined limit. In the present disclosure, this limit is defined by an annular contact 19 disposed within the body section 10 and secured to the post 17 by a screw 20, said -post, screw and contact being in electrical conducting relation. The contact 19 projects beyond the periphery of the post 17 and horn or the like,

contacts with the outer end wall of the body section 10, when the button 15 has been moved outwardly under the influence of the spring 18.

'lhe straight inward movement of the button 15 is relied upon to operate the usual whereas the tilting movement of said button may be utilized to con- Atrol a stop light, right and left signals and said and a parking light, as will be clear from the initials on Fig. 7. When this button is tilted, its contact shell 16 comes into engagement with one or another of the contact screws 14 to complete the desired circuit, and in order that said shell may be held in contact with the screw 14 associated with the parking light, I provide the push button with a hook 21 to hook into the kerf of this particularscrew, as shown in Fig. 3. Preferably, the hook 21 is integral with or otherwise joined to the shell 16 of the push button.

An insulating plug 22 lits removably within the body section 9 and yprojects beyond this section into the section 10, said plug being provided with a pair of metallic studs -23 engaged with bayonet slots 24 in said shell section 9, the plug being yieldably held to maintain the studs and slots in engagement with each other by a coiled compression spring 25 which is disposed Within the body section 9.v Upon slight inward yslnftng of the plug 22 however, and rotation thereof to some extent, the studs 23 clear the slots 24 plug may be bodily withdrawn from the body section 9, as will be clear from Fig. 5. Y

Passing centrally through the plug 22, 1s a conductor 26 to which to connect the horn wire 27, said conductor being preferably in the form of a bolt, with its head 28 disposed in the inward path of the head 28'l of the screw 20. Surrounding this contact portion 28 of the conductor 26, is an annular contact 29 which is suitably secured within a groove in the outer end of the insulating plug 22, the contact 29 and conductor v26 being insulated from each other by a portion of said plug. As will be clear from Figs. 3 and 4, the annular Contact 29 is eo-operable with the annular Contact 19 above described, and said contact 29 is placed in electrical conducting relation with one .of the studs 23, by means of a conductor 30 embedded in the insulating plug 22 and preferably formed integrally with said contact 29.

Conductors 31 are secured in grooves 32 formed longitudinally in the periphery of the insulating plug 22, said conductors having portions 31'LL exposed at the periphery of said plug for contact with the inner `ends of the screws 14, asshown most clearly in Figs. 2 and 3. These conductors 31 are provided With binding posts 33 for the wires 34 of the turning and stop signals and the parking light. These Wires 34 and the horn wire 27 are preferably all encased in metallic armour 35.

When the push button 15 is forced straight inwardly, the contacts 281-19, simultaneously strike thecontacts 28-29 respectively. Then, current flows from the horn wire 27, through the conductor 26, through the contacts 28-28, through the contacts 19-29, through the conductor 30 and the associated stud 23, and through the body section 9 to the ground. It will thus be seen that this straight inward movement of the button 15 maybe used to sound the usual horn.

When the button 15 is tilted to a position at which its contact means 16 strikes one` of the contacts 14, current llows to this contact through the associated conductor 31, binding post 33 and wire 34, and flows from said contact 14 through the contact means 16, post 17 and contact 19, to the contact 29, the contact 19 having come into contact with the member 29 upon tilting of the button, as seen 'in Fig. 3. It will be observed however that this contact 19 does not then engage the contact 28, nor is said contact 28 at that time engaged by the horn-controlling contact 28a, with the result that the horn will not be sounded, although the current for the stop light, the turning signal, or parking light, will be completed, as occasion may demand. It is, of course, `understood that from the contact 29, the current passes onto the ground through the conductor 30, associated stud 23, and body section 9.

Whenever it is desired that the parking light shall remain illuminated, it is simply necessary to engage the hook 21 with the contact 14 associated with said light. If desired, an arrangement duplicating this hook or some analogous arrangement, might wellbe employed for holding the push button in the position to whichl it is turned for operating a turning signal or a stop light, but for purposes of illustration, one hook 21 to hold the button 15 in one tilted position, will sufiice.

Excellent results are obtainable from the Ieneral construction herein disclosed. This construction has been rather specifically del` scribed, but such description and the specific showing of the drawings, are to be considered as illustrative rather than limiting, as within the scope of the invention as claimed, numerous Variations may be made.

lVhat is claimed is:

1. In a signal controlling switch, a body having circumferentially spaced contacts projecting radially from the annular outer surface thereof, an additional contact within said body at one of its ends, said end having an opening, a cupped push button titting loosely over said end of the body and having contact means for co-operation with llo Cil

said eireumferentially spaced contacts, said push button having a central post passing looselv through the aforesaid opening and permitting tiltingfvof'ethe button toward any of said ciicunif'erentially spaced contacts, a spring around the post bearing against the body and push button to force the latter normally outward, and a contact secured to the inner end of said post, and normally spaced outwardly from said additional contact but being co-operable ,therewith upon tilting of the push button.

2. In a signal controlling switch, a body having circumfcrcntially spaced contacts projecting radially from the outer annular surface thereof, said body being formed with an opening at one end, a cupped push button fitting loosely over said end of the body, a cupped contact shell secured within said cupped push button for selective engagement with said circumferentially spaced radially projecting contacts upon tilting of the push button, a metallic post centrally secured to said shell and passing loosely through the aforesaid opening, spring means for outwardly forcing the push button to a predetermined extent, a contact on the inner end of the aforesaid post, and another contact in the body coopcrable with the post-carried contact but normally spaced therefrom.

3. In a signal controlling switch, complementary body sections jointly forming a hollow cylindrical body, one of said sections fitting within the other and having a bayonet slot, an insulating plug fitting removably within said one section and having a stud engaged with said bayonet slot, a

conductor carried by said plug and having a binding post, a contact passing through the sidewall of' said other body section and engaging said conductor, and a push button mounted on the aforesaid body and having a contact for engagement with the first named contact.

4. A structure as specified in claim 3; said one body section and said stud being metallic, an additional conductor carried by said plug and connected to said stud, an addi-v tional contact connected to said additional conductor and carried by said plug, a contact carried by said button for engagement with said additional contact, and conducting means electrically connecting this contact with the second named contact.

5. In a switch, complementary body sections jointly forming a hollow cylindrical body, one of said sections being metallic and having a bayonet slot, an insulating plug fitting within said one body s ection and having a metallic stud engaged with said bayonet slot, a contact carried by said plug and electrically connected with said stud, a push button mounted on said body, and a contact carried by said push button and disposed Within said body for co-action with the first named contact.

6. A structure as specified in claim 5; said contacts being of annular form, and additional co-acting contacts within the c0nfines of said annular contacts and carried by the plug and push button respectively.

7. In a signal controlling switch, a body having a hollow end portion and an opening communicating therewith, circumferen-- tially spaced contacts carried by said body, a cupped push button fitting loosely around said end portion of said body and having contact means for selective engagement with said contacts when the butto'n is tilted, means tiltably mounting said button and embodying a post passing loosely through the aforesaid opening, an additional contact carried by said post, and another contact mounted in said hollow body portion to be engaged by said additional contact when said button is forced'inwardly on a straight line, said last-named contacts being normally spaced apart.

8. In a signal controlling switch, a body having a hollow end portion and an opening communicating therewith, circumferentially spaced contacts carried by said body, a cupped push button fitting loosely around said end portion of said body and having contact means for selective engagement with said contacts when the button is tilted, means tiltably mounting said button and embodying a current conducting post passing loosely through the aforesaid opening and in electrical conducting relation with the aforesaid contact means, an annular contact connected electrically with the inner end of the post and disposed within said hollow body portion, a second annular contact mounted in said hollow body portion for engagement with the first named annular contact when the aforesaid button is forced inwardly on a straight line or is tilted, a third contact within the confines of the first named annular contact and in electrical conducting relation therewith, and a fourth contact within the confines of the second annular contact and insulated therefrom for co-action with said third contact only when the push button is forced inwardly on a. straight line.

9. In a signal controlling switch, a. hollow body formed of complementary sections detachably connected, an insulating plug Within one of said sections and projecting beyond the same into other section, a conductor carried by said insulating plug and exposed at the periphery of its projecting portion, a contact passing through the side wall of said other body section and engagcd with said conductor, a cupped push button loosely fitting around said o ther body section and having contact means for engagement with said contact, and means mov- 4 miams ably mounting said push button on said ment with said contactsvaccording to the dibody. rection in which the button is tilted, and a 10. In a signal controlling switch, a stahook carried by said shell for engagement tionary body having circumfcrentially spaced with one of said contacts to hold the shell 5 contacts at its periphery, a cupped push butin engagement therewith when desired.

ton mounted on the body for tilting in di- In testimony whereof I have hereunto afferent directions, said button receiving a fixed my signature.

portion of said body, a Contact shell secured Within said push button for selective engage- ARTHUR H. ELLIS. 

